Workshop: HIV/AIDS in Indonesia

HIV/AIDS in Indonesia: pathologies of power, profit, and policy

Workshop to be held at:

BOX, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

1-5pm, 12 November 2009

As the fourth most populous country, third-biggest democracy, and largest majority-Muslim country in the world, Indonesia is an important country, one whose economic development and political life have attracted considerable attention, both scholarly and otherwise. Less self-evident and well known is Indonesia's experience with the spread of HIV/AIDS, an experience which may seem to pale in comparison with many other countries around the world, most obviously in Africa, but one which still merits attention given the nature and extent of the problems observed. This workshop brings together scholars who have conducted extensive research on various issues related to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Indonesia, including the problems associated with the formulation and implementation of policies by the Indonesian government and key multilateral institutions to deal with HIV/AIDS across the archipelago. As signalled in the sub-title of the workshop, there is a particular interest in the ways in which 'politics', broadly conceived, complicates and compromises efforts to deal with HIV/AIDS. Overall, the intention is to provide a forum for critical - but constructive - discussion of the Indonesian experience with HIV/AIDS, both to encourage a better understanding - and hopefully improvement - of policies in Indonesia itself, and to take the Indonesian case as an illuminating example of relevance to a broader range of countries experiencing the spread of HIV/AIDS today.

The venue for the workshop is suitable for only 50 people, so there is very limited space available for additional participants. Please contact John Sidel at j.t.sidel@lse.ac.uk <mailto:j.t.sidel@lse.ac.uk>  to register your interest in attending, to RSVP to an invitation to attend, or for any other questions regarding the workshop.

Schedule of presentations

1:00-2:00pm: Elizabeth Pisani, "Tracking the HIV Epidemic in Indonesia: What's the Point?"  

2:00-2:45pm: Michael Buehler, Weatherhead Institute, Columbia University, "ARV Medication and Rent-Seeking in Indonesia: The Case of Kimia Farma"

2:45-3:30pm: Dédé Oetomo, "HIV Work Among Indonesia's Gay Men, Transgender People, and Other MSM: From Exclusion to Inclusion?"

3:30-4:15pm: Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja, Department of Social Policy, LSE, "Female Sex Work in Indonesia: Implications for HIV Prevention Efforts"

4:15-5:00pm: Claire Q. Smith, "What are the Links between Government and Electoral Reform and Increasing HIV/AIDS Rates in Papua?"

Paper Abstracts

Michael Buehler, Weatherhead Institute, Columbia University, "ARV Medication and Rent-Seeking in Indonesia: The Case of Kimia Farma"

This paper examines how compulsory licensing for the production of ARV medication in Indonesia serves as a rent-seeking strategy. The paper examines Kimia Farma, comparing drug prices of medication produced in Indonesia with medication produced abroad. The paper shows that the shortcomings of ARV treatment of HIV patients in Indonesia stem from political, rather than financial or developmental, causes.

Dédé Oetomo, GAYa Nusantara, "HIV Work Among Indonesia's Gay Men, Transgender People, and Other MSM: From Exclusion to Inclusion?"

This paper will examine how work among gay men, transgender people (waria) and other men who have sex with men has evolved and progressed from a fits-and-start approach in the early 1990s to almost total exclusion and to apparent inclusion in recent years. The paper draws on the author's long experience as an activist building the infrastructure in the 1990s and now working with donor agencies, the UN system, the National AIDS Commission and other interested parties.

Elizabeth Pisani, "Tracking the HIV Epidemic in Indonesia: What's the Point?"

This paper examines the state of surveillance and programme information systems in Indonesia, which are generally very good, and the use of the data they generate in programme planning and management, which is execrable. The paper explores the reasons behind the failure to act on the information available. These reasons encompass problems of institutional self-interest, political posturing, and personal rivalry, and as well as limited logistical capacity.

Dewi Ismajani Puradiredja, Department of Social Policy, LSE, "Female Sex Work in Indonesia: Implications for HIV Prevention Efforts"

Unprotected heterosexual transactional sex is one of the main modes of HIV transmission in Indonesia. Firstly, this paper considers some of the key issues relating to HIV prevention efforts among female sex workers (FSWs) in Indonesia, ranging from the persistent lack of consistent condom use to sex work policy and regulations. Secondly, drawing on primary data from a mixed quantitative-qualitative methods study, the paper will examine different sex work settings and FSW populations in rural and urban West Java/Indonesia and elaborate on the challenges their characteristics create for prevention and research. On the basis of the study results, tentative suggestions for future prevention efforts will be made.     

Claire Q. Smith, DESTIN, LSE, "What are the Links between Government and Electoral Reform and Increasing HIV/AIDS Rates in Papua?"

The HIV incidence rate in Papua is the worst in Indonesia and has been increasing since 2000. This paper focuses on two of the potential causes for this increase. First, the paper considers how recent government reforms have impacted local economic and social development patterns, particularly employment and migration, and how this may have affected HIV incidence. Second, the paper considers how electoral reforms have led to a reallocation of public funds for electoral purposes, reportedly at the cost of local health and education budgets, which may also have increased the risk of HIV infection. The results of this exploratory study may have important consequences for current development policies, including governance and health programmes.